Knock knock knock.

I sit up and stretch slowly in my bed, the sunlight streaming in between the wooden shutters.

Knock knock knockknockknock--

The banging on my window which had woken me up grows louder and louder, and faster and faster, until I can't stand it any longer. 

"Fine! I'm coming, you pests," I mumble as I half fall out of my bed. "Can't a lady get some decent sleep these days?" I undo the latch and push open the window with a huff, blinking at the bright sunlight.

"Jessa! Finally! We were beginning to think that you were dead!" Merry teases, his head poking out of a rather prickly-looking bush. 

"It's practically noon, Jessa," Pippin complains from his perch in the dirt, "and we've been waiting for you to wake up for ages."

I yawn, and made a big show of stretching my arms, hitting both Merry and Pippin in the head. "And you couldn't've waited any longer? I'm exhausted from the party last night-- or did you forget washing all those dishes?"

"How could I? My arms were about to fall off!" Merry says, massaging his arms dramatically. "Who knew washing dishes was so much work?"

"Besides, now we're going to smell like soap for weeks," Pippin adds, grimacing. "But, Jessa, really, we've got big plans for today. And you're the most important part."

"Hey! You said that I had the most important part! Liar!" Merry tries to grab Pippin, forgetting about the bush he's sitting in. "Ouch!" He yelps, then tries to stand up. Pippin and I laugh as he struggle and squirms for a minute, until finally he gives up. "A little help?" He asks sheepishly.

I roll my eyes. "I'm going to get ready. If Pippin can pull you out before Momma wakes up and loads me with chores, I'll go help you with your plans."

"Thank--" Pippin starts to say, but I slam the shutters shut before he can finish.

"Those rascals," I mutter fondly as I start to change, listening to them argue as they try to get Merry unstuck. 

I grab a pastry from the kitchen, stopping at the counter to write Momma a quick note.

Went with Merry and Pippin. Be home for supper. Love you! J

Then I leave, without a glance behind.

I walk around the house to my window, just in time to see Pippin give one final pull, yanking Merry out of the bush. He lands with a groan and lies on the soft grass unmoving. 

"Did you kill him?" I tease, nudging his leg with my foot. Merry raises his head off the ground, squints tiredly at me, then collapses back on the ground. 

"Oh, he's fine, I'm sure." Pippin says, pulling thorns out of his shirt.

"Easy for you to say. You didn't get stuck in a bush!"

"No, I was smart enough not to hide in a thorn bush, unlike someone I know."

"Alright, so where are we headed?" I break up the boys's bickering. "We better get going before Momma wakes up or I'll be in over my head with chores." 

"Oh, yes! Well, we saw Farmer Maggot at the party last night--"

"And we know he had at least a few too many to drink--"

"So we thought that today--"

"Would be the perfect day to nab us some vegetables!"

"Are you in?"

"Am I in? Do you know me at all?" I begin to skip down the road. "Let's go get us some carrots!"

"And mushrooms!" Pippin adds.

"Oh yes!" Merry sighs. "I love those Maggot mushrooms. They're absolutely phenomenal!"

We spend the rest of the walk there dreaming up delicious ways to cook mushrooms, and carrots, and onions, and potatoes, and all the other vegetables we hope to find in his garden. Finally, after a somewhat long and very hungry walk, we arrive at the entrance to Farmer Maggot's land. Rows and rows of corn, and lettuce, and all other delicious foods lay before us, unattended by anyone.

I look at Merry and Pippin in amazement, and my stomach growls loudly. The three of us laugh and begin to open the gate, when all the sudden a loud barking begins. Three dark hounds stand, tied to a tree, absolutely barking their brains out. 

"Here, come this way!" Pippin beckons us, and we begin to sneak along the edge of the field, out of sight of the dogs. 

"Oi," Merry whispers as we sneak along the fence, "I think I heard somebody say that the cabbages are in season. How do we feel about starting there?"

"They're right next to the carrots, too!" I add. "I could do with a nice, fresh, crunchy, earthy carrot right about now."

"But the mushrooms!" Pippin complains. "Those are all the way on the other side!"

"Yes, but also I think we raided the mushroom field last week when you asked, Pip," Merry says. "I'm going to get myself some cabbages and carrots, and you're coming with me." Pippin pouts for a moment, then leans over to me.

"What do you think about mushrooms?" He whispers in my ear. I blush and look down, pretending to think about it until I get control over my face.

"I don't--"

"And don't even try to win over Jessa!" Merry calls from behind us. "Cabbages and carrots it is!" He peeks over the fence, then looks back at us, grinning widely. "Besides, we're here."

Pippin looks pleadingly at me, but Merry grabs my arm and pulls me over to the fence. "Up you go!" He helps me climb to the top, then I pull him up.

"Coming?" I ask Pippin, who shrugs. 

"These better be the best cabbages I've ever tasted," he mumbles as we haul him up to the top of the fence. 

"They're Maggot cabbages. Of course they are!" Merry tells him as we hop down into the soft dirt. We walk through the rows of cabbages, turning some over, tasting a few leaves, and then I see it. I leap over a few rows, bend down, and pick up the biggest, greenest cabbage I've ever seen. 

"Would you look at this! It's gorgeous!" Merry and Pippin make their way over, each holding two cabbages just as big. 

"Told you, Pip," Merry laughs as his stomach grumbles. "Now whaddaya say about some carrots?" We make our way through the cabbage patch and into the rows of soft carrot leaves. I pull one, then two gloriously round, orange carrots from the ground, when I hear the sound of barking. 

"Get out o' my field, you nasty troublemakers!" Farmer Maggot's cry stops my heart in my chest, then starts it beating rapidly again.

"Run!" Merry shouts. I jump up, holding tightly to my fresh vegetables. "Pippin, come on!" I watch as Pippin pulls one last carrot from the ground, grinning widely. He sprints to catch up with us and together, we dart into the corn fields, Farmer Maggot and his hounds not far behind. 

"Didn't think the old man would be awake today!" Pippin says between deep breaths. Corn stalks whip at my face and arms, leaving a few shallow cuts and a lot of stinging skin.

"Well, at least we got something out of it!" I tell him, nodding at the bundle of green and orange in my arms. 

"We won't be keeping it if you two keep blabbering on instead of running away! Hurry, before he catches us!" Merry scolds us. I turn, running backwards for a moment. Just above the corn stalks, I can see Farmer Maggot's scythe bouncing.

"Oh, we've got nothing to worry about! He's old, and slow, and even fatter than you, Merry!" I tease my friend, but he hardly looks comforted.

"It's not him, its the dogs that'll catch us! They'll chew into our feet, cripple us until Farmer Maggot shows up. Then he'll lop off a few of our fingers for taking his prize crops!"

I open my mouth to tell him that it's just legend, when all the sudden we burst into a wide lane and crash into two bodies.

I blink and look over at Pippin, then at the hobbit below us. "Frodo!" Pippin exclaims as I roll off him. "Merry, Jessa, look! It's Frodo Baggins!"

"Hello, Frodo!" Merry says cheerfully, and I grin at him. 

"Oh, get off of him!" Samwise Gamgee yanks Pippin off Frodo, then helps him stand up and brushes him off. Merry helps me up, then we pick up our fallen loot.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sam asks, and I grin sheepishly at him, handing him the cabbage that no longer fits neatly in my arms. Merry piles a few carrots on top, then pats him on the shoulder. "You've been into Farmer Maggot's crops!" Sam accuses us. The sound of barking grows suddenly louder, and I look at Merry and Pippin, then up at the approaching scythe above the corn.

"Run!" I shout, and pull Pippin into the corn again. Merry grabs Frodo and Sam follows behind as we make a mad dash for freedom.

"I don't know why he's so upset!" Merry yells to Frodo. "It was only a couple of carrots!"

"And some cabbages!" Pippin adds, then pauses. "And the three bags of potatoes we lifted the week before. And the mushrooms were that week too!"

"Yes, Pippin, my point is, he's clearly overreacting!"

"Well, I'd hate to see how he'd react if he catches us!" I shout, bursting through another row of corn, into open air. I smile in relief-- until I see the cliff in front of me. 

I come to a halting stop right at the edge of the drop off, and Pippin, then Frodo, then Merry crash into me. I almost manage to steady myself when Sam crashes into the back of the group. 

And we tumble down the steep slope. 

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! 

Have a great week! Spirit